


I wish you could meet him

by Lord_Elmo22



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Elmo22/pseuds/Lord_Elmo22
Summary: Another day is here for Katara, marking another year without her beloved mother. The Waterbender nervously stands idly near her grave, unsure of how to begin; for there is much to be said.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 87





	I wish you could meet him

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little Zutara oneshot I thought up out of the blue.
> 
> Katara is twenty in this btw. And it's an Antarctic summer, so around January.

Katara was… conflicted.

On one hand, today was arguably the most beautiful day she’d ever experienced. The summer sun shined in all its glory upon her home, bringing a newfound warmth that was unprecedented in the South Pole. There wasn’t a cloud for miles, letting her see far and beyond the horizons. The sea glistened like gemstones; soft crested waves rushing past her ankles and seeping into the sand. 

In the distance, Katara could hear the swarming flocks of otter penguin hunting in the surf. The waterbender lifted her face to the sky, drawing in the heat. She may rise with the moon, but it wouldn’t stop her from enjoying this. After all…

Today was the very same day her mother had been taken from her, all those years ago.

Katara had tried to make a habit of visiting every year and today was no exception. But this time, however, she found difficulty coming any closer to the gravestone. And so she stood idly in the ebb and flow of the tide.

It was strange, surreal even. 

It didn’t feel like 12 years. Katara closed her eyes and bowed her head, still haunted by the memory of it all. The terror she felt. The reassuring look on her mother’s face. The gruffness of Yon Rha’s voice. She recalled every single detail, all of them, as if it had happened yesterday. Katara managed to stifle her urge to cry. The young woman trembled as her hand instinctively loomed toward her neck, to rub her necklace for comfort. 

Only then did she remember her other reason for coming.

Her legs slowly sprang to life, turning to face her mother’s grave that sat mere feet away. Katara ambled in its direction, muddying the surf; the crunch of the coarse sand beneath her feet. There was so much that needed to be said; Katara’s heart firmly situated in her throat. Tentatively, she stopped next the outer ring of stones, sitting cross-legged before them. A slow and deliberate exhale passed through her lips; time for her annual talk.

“Hey, Mom.” She began, “I hope you’ve been okay…”

She halted herself for a moment. Katara fully knew she was talking to nobody, but it helped her cope. And keep her mother’s memory alive.

“I’ve been good… great even. Umm.. Do you remember my friend, Zuko? The Fire Nation boy who also happens to be the Fire Lord? Yeah… I started seeing him not long after we last spoke. I know. Me dating a boy from the Fire Nation and its figurehead no less. I didn’t think I had it in me either.”

The young woman drew her gaze towards the lone centerpiece. The smile curling at her lips was tainted by the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Using her left thumb, Katara casually wiped them away before she broke down altogether. The silence amongst the stones didn’t help either; gentle gusts of wind her only source of feedback.

“Hah… I can only imagine what you’re thinking. Of all the people I could’ve fallen for, it had to be the bratty prince that nearly burned down the village. But I swear to you, Mom. Zuko’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. He’s kind… He listens… He… makes me happy. I wish you could meet him, I think you’d like him too. 

She never would’ve imagined living the life she’s led, but fate often worked in mysterious ways. Katara let out a soft chuckle, reminiscing on her time as enemies with the love of her life. His angry little fits, his constant raving about regaining his honour, and of course, that god awful ponytail. Thank Tui and La it didn’t last. Katara once again fiddled with the jewel taught around her neck; it’s fiery shine radiant in the sunlight.

“Mom…” Katara smiled tearfully, “He proposed to me…”

She hardly believed the words coming out of her own mouth. The Waterbender adjusted her posture, brandishing her betrothal necklace with pride. A velvet band carrying a luminous fire opal, the symbol of her tribe painstakingly hand-chiseled across its surface. 

It was _breathtaking_ ; no one could deny that. And somehow, the sunshine seemed dim, as if the heavens agreed.

“I haven’t told Sokka or Dad yet. I wanted you to be the first to know.” Katara explained cheerily. Even if Kya was gone, she still deserved that right. “But please don’t be upset with what I did with your necklace.”

Katara began to fret, as if her mother were about to reprimand her. Blue eyes drifted upon the beach, laced with uncertainty. She couldn’t help feeling guilty; that necklace had become somewhat of an heirloom, the legacy of her Gran Gran and Kya’s courage. Not to mention Katara’s sole memento. But fortunately for her family, it was in safe hands. Her fiance’s more specifically.

“I hope you don’t mind me giving it to him. You were my everything until that monster took you away from us. From me. Nothing could ever fill the void you left behind, but Zuko’s really been doing his best to try… and I...”

A devious, diminutive smirk replaced her smile, her eyes staring yet again at center stone. Her free hand made its way toward her stomach; a single tear flowing across her cheek. With a gentle stroke of her shirt, Katara announced her final surprise.

“I haven’t told him yet... but I’m pregnant.”

The hand caressing her necklace joined its partner; leaving nothing to stop the river of tears that followed her first. Feeling nothing except joy, the young woman made no attempt to wipe them away; the impact of her words sending shivers across her skin. Her future and future of the Fire Nation, was due in less than a year. A child in years prior, would’ve been impossible; a child of once opposing nations.

“It’s still too early to say if it’s a boy or a girl.” A nervous laugh sputtered from her mouth,  
“But I’m excited. Terrified but excited.”

With all her confessions said and done, Katara realized it was about time for her to go home. Before anyone deciding to interrupt or worse, snoop. Can’t have anyone ruining her surprises. She rose and stood tall, stretching her stiff limbs outward. After a few satisfying pops in her knees and back, Katara looked one last time at her mother’s grave.

“I love you, mom.” Katara grieved “I promise to bring _my family_ next time.”

And so Katara made the quick walk back to the shoreline, picking up her boots that she very nearly forgot about amidst her thoughts. She very much enjoyed the sound of 'her family'. Rather than the somber exit she normally took, Katara walked with her head held high.

For her future was bright and filled with new beginnings.


End file.
